Low bed vehicle



March 6, 1951 Y L. c. GROSS 2,544,456

LOW BED VEHICLE Filed Dec. 14, 1946 2- Sheets-Sheet 1 9 INVENTOR LL". Grass BY Mi;

ATTORNEYS March 6, 195] L. c. GROSS 2,544,456

LOW BED VEHICLE Filed Dec. 14, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. L. C. Gro ss X BY a 44.]; ML

H TTYS Patented Mar. 6, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE *LOW' BED VEHICBE LeslieC. Gross, Hughson,.,0alif. I

.Application-Decemberl l, 1946, Serial'No. 716,285

.3 Claims. (Cl. 214-8334) This invention is directedto, and it isan object to provide, an improved lowbed vehicle, either as a truck or trailer, particularly designed for transporting loaded fruit or vegetable lug boxes, from oint to point as from the field to-a cannery.

Another object of the invention isto embody, in combination in a vehicle which includes a low bed extending between transversely spaced supportingwheels below the top thereof, a novel mechanism arranged to; facilitate unloading, of the portion of the loadwhich is supported between said wheels.

. A, further obiect-ofthaiavention is to provide a low bed vehicle, as Lin-the preceding paragraph.

in which said mechanism includes alugfbox supporting carriage normally'disposed between: the

wheels, but mounted on the. vehicleifor longitudinal movement between-said normal position and another position clear of said wheels-whereby to permitof easy access to the boxes'on the carriage.

The stacks ofboxes areiusua'llyzpallet supported on the vehiclebedto-permit of. removalbya fork truck at the cannery, and the presentinvention. makes possible the engagement of the fork truck with the pallet which carries the boxes, during transport, between the vehicle wheels.

A further object of the invention :is to produce a practical device and one which-will berexceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These-objects are accomplished by means of such structure-and relativearrangement of parts as willfully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings:

Figure lis aside elevation ofthe low bed vehi cle fully'loa-ded.

Fig. 1218 a similar view but shows the rear section of :the loadremoved preparatory to rearward shifting of the carriage and the intermediate section of the load.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional elevation showing the carriage, with the intermediate section of the load thereon, in its retracted osition for ease of access.

Figure 4 is a plan View of the low bed vehicle showing the carriage in its normal or advanced position in full lines, with its retracted position being indicated in dotted lines.

Figure 5 is a cross section on line 55 of Fig. 4.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the invention is here shown as embodied in a trailer type vehicle, although it is obvious that such inven- 2 tion ;may be incorporated in a self-propelled truck or the like The vehicle, as here shown,..comprises a low hung, longitudinally extending main frame or bed indicated generally at 4, including a pair of transversely spaced, longitudinal side beams 2 of substantial length. The side beams are I-beams disposed'with the flanges thereof top and bottom whereby adjacent channels of said I-beams are in facing relation. The longitudinal side beams 2 are connected together at spaced points by suitable cross members 3 and diagonalbracing 4.

At its forward end. the low hung main frame or bed I isxfitted with a forwardly projecting draft tongue-.5, including a hit-ch fi for connection to a towing vehicle (not shown). At. said forward end the bed I includes an upstanding front wall 1 which locates the load and prevents its forward displacement.

Intermediateritsfront and rear .ends the bed I is fitted with a transverse under-slung axle 8 having supporting wheels 9 rotatably mounted on opposite ends thereof laterally outwardly of corresponding side beams 2; there being suitable longitudinal guards Ill mounted in protective relation to the wheels El'between'the latter and adjaeent side beams 2. The wheels 9 are preferably :fitted with pneumatic tires as shown.

A carriage, indicated generally at H, is mounted on the bed I for travel between a normal or advanced. position between the wheels 9 and a retracted position rearwardly of said wheels, as shown. in full lines and dotted lines, respectively, in Fig. 4. The carriage I l is-constructed and mounted as follows;

The carriage H includes a pair oftransversely spaced; longitudinally extending side members l:2, of angle. iron, disposedwith .one'fiange thereof riding above the topflange of the corresponding side'beam 2. The side members l2 of the carriage l l. are connected together by cross bars li3land'idiagonal bracing l4.

Front and rear axles I5 connect between the side members [2, and at opposite ends said axles carry rollers l6 which run in the adjacent and facing channels I! of the side beams 2.

As so constructed and mounted, the carriage l l is readily and easily shiftable between its normal advanced position and its retracted position.

When the described low bed vehicle is in use stacks of loaded fruit or vegetable lug boxes I8 are disposed on pallets 19 supported by the bed assembly of said vehicle. The pallet supported load includes a front section 20, an intermediate section 2| and a rear section 22. The box-stack supporting pallets of the front and rear sections 20 and 22 of the load rest transversely of the bed I on the side beams 2. The box-stack supporting pallet of the intermediate section 2| of the load is carried by the carriage II and extends in supporting relation between the side members I2. As shown, the intermediate section of the load and its pallet are initially or normally between the wheels 9.

The pallets [9 are of the type which include transversely extending openings 23 for the reception of the projecting forks of a fork truck, not shown, such as is commonly used to unload pallet supported stacks of boxes from vehicles at canneries.

When the described low bed vehicle reaches the point of unloading, as at a cannery, the rear section 22 of the load is first removed by the fork truck by engaging its forks with the pallet of said section. The intermediate section 21 of the load, in its normal position, cannot be unloaded by virtue of the obstruction by the wheels 9, and to clear such obstruction said intermediate section 2i is carriage supported, as described. By shifting the carriage H, with the intermediate section 2! of the load thereon, rearwardly to its retracted position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, said section of the load is accessible, as also shown in Fig. 3, for engagement and lifting by the forks of the fork truck. If desired, to facilitate movement of the carriage ll between its normally advanced and retracted positions, a cable 24 is connected between said carriage and a winch bar 25 on the rear end of the bed I. Upon rotation of the winch bar 25 by a suitable lever or crank, the cable 24 winds onto said bar pulling the carriage H rearwardly to its retracted position.

The front section 20 of the load is removed by the fork truck in the usual manner.

With the described 'low bed vehicle, embodied in either a low bed trailer or truck, a pallet supported section of loaded boxes may be carried, for transport, between the wheels and yet easily and readily moved to an unobstructed position for fork truck removal at the point of unloading.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new and useful and upon which Letters Patent is desired:

1. A vehicle comprising a low, longitudinal bed, transversely spaced wheels supporting the bed on opposite sides and intermediate its ends, the

bed being disposed below the high points of the wheels, and means arranged with the bed adapted to normally support a portion of a load between the wheels for transport and for movement lengthwise of the bed to a position clear of the wheels for unloading; said means including a carriage movable along the bed from a normal advanced position between the wheels to a retracted position to the rear thereof, and a cable unit connected between the carriage and rear portion of the bed operative to retract the carriage.

2. A vehicle comprising a low, longitudinal bed, transversely spaced wheels supporting the bed on opposite sides and intermediate its ends, the bed being disposed below the high points of the wheels, and a carriage mounted on the bed adapted to normally support a portion of a load between the wheels for transport and for movement lengthwise of the bed to a position clear of the wheels for unloading; the bed including side beams channeled on adjacent sides, and the carriage including side members disposed in part laterally inward of corresponding side beams, and rollers mounted in connection with the side members and running in said channels.

3. A vehicle comprising a low, longitudinal bed, transversely spaced wheels supporting the bed on opposite sides and intermediate its ends, the bed being disposed below the high points of the wheels, and a carriage mounted on the bed adapted to normally support a portion of a load between the wheels for transport and for movement lengthwise of the bed to a position clear of the wheels for unloading; the bed including side beams channeled on adjacent sides, and the carriage including side members disposed in part laterally inward of corresponding side beams, and rollers mounted in connection with the side members and running in said channels, there being top flanges on the side members overhanging the side beams in adjacent but spaced relation.

LESLIE C. GROSS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 48,847 Smith July 18, 1865 431,786 Thompson et a1 July 8, 1890 882,407 Moyer Mar. 17, 1908 884,127 Carroll Apr. 7, 1908 1,023,902 Wehmiller Apr. 23, 1912 1,807,268 Woodruff May 26, 1931 1,823,384 Young Sept. 15, 1931 2,061,673 Robinson Nov. 24, 1936 2,290,652 Russell July 21, 1942 

